St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-04-23

the employers kept their gangs" here
while waiting for new contracts.
Entering into Il narrow court, We say
heaps OF rags and old papers. and IL 10
- OF Notwithstanding people engaged il
:. sorting them. Going into the house
we were uShcre1 into Il basement room
occupied by Il family whose children
were supposed to attend the Italian
School. Two beds, one over the other
Il lew chars, an excuse for table. and
small stove constituted the only fur
"'t''re' lhcre was no carpet. and there
were no pictures. We found the room
was occupied. not only by the family.
but also by two boardcrs. The Italian
woman told the teacher that she paid
500 month vent The teacher
thought that this was quite probable
Bidding adieu to the landlady of this
poardIhg-hou>c. we stepped into the
room across the hall. and found il like
the one we had just left, except that
'llcfe was stitch Of carpet. and that
mere were three beds instead of two
we found that eight people occupied
TINS room. A bed was made on the
Hoor for the children.
hollS INTO - street. we went back
INTO another narrow court, much dir
tler-looking than its predecessor The
teacher led lis up the narrow staircase
OF a very dilapidated building. and
brought us, at the end of the third
| L., $ L.
merchandising middle-agcd woman
was nursing a sick child. The Italian
teacher asked after Il child which had
| been attending the school, and the
woman promised to send it next morn
| ing. This lof was badly lighted and
not ventilated at all. | did not notice
any bad odors, but this must have been
an accident. 1t was the living. eating.
and sleeping-room of three families
ming down the staircase. we noticed
on the first floor Il sidc-cntrauce to "A
saloon where "becr'' was for sale at "a
cent pint. On the steps stood a rough |
looking man of forty. apparently an
American. quarreling with and cursing !
a Young negro woman who was stand
ing. not ten feet away, on the steps of
the building across the court. The ne
gress did not allow herself to be out
done III the use of strong language
1t is in this section that the Italian
school of the Children's Aid Society is
doing its work. Although New York
nomlnally has compulsory education,
the law is of necessity loosely enforced,
and, as matter of fact. scarcely en-
forced at all, in these districts. Very
young children are kept at work. espe-
clally at clgar-making and rag-picking.
and the law permits this in case they
can show fourteen weeks half-time at
tendance. The society's school is able (
to reach children who could not attend
the public schools. The simple lunch
which is given is an immense assistance ;
to some of the parents One large t
DOM Of the building is devoted to a 5
while in another are the |
little infants whose older sisters must t
have stayed at home to care c
or them. The school has over four G
hundred children in attendance. They t
IRE so small III stature as to give the
'lsltor the impression of being exceed {
ngly bright, and the teachers enthusi- :
assert that they are brighter 4
han American children. SO far as t
raWin@ was concerned. the boast was Il
veil substantiated. notwithstanding p
hat the children are taken out of fl
chool so very young (the boys to work o
nd the girls to be MARKEDLY, the school o
able to make most admirable show a
lg in the way of free-hand drawing II
nd designing, and also in the kindred it
Tork of wood-carving lace-work and II
is
1t is not possible to enter into a IL
etailed account of the work done by ci
he school. In the daytime its work is W
mong the little children, and at night N
mong the older boys and girls. All fe
the Italian children seem to take a st
leat deal of pride in tleir school.
lille was talking with the princi- la
al, two of the older boys from oc
lc night school came in to pc
= "'oo"' an ohteitallllHent Wlllcn some u
them were getting up for the benefit ce
the rest of the school The bows Ike
ere good-looking and neatly dressed. in
heir clothes, however, were plain, and be
G principal told me that the only boy WI
the night school who wore collar fl
as called ''the dude" ne
The influence which goes out from
is school can easily be imagined The
rents of most of the children are I'M
lie even to speak English. They take az
newspapers, they attend no churches. Bu
lie school is almost the only ciyiIizino mn